Think About It

Are you looking for a way to make a difference in someone’s life this weekend? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Take a bag of food to someone who might be hungry. Many of our food pantries are closed on the weekend, so food availability may be somewhat scare. You can either prearrange to deliver it or do a drop and dash. Either way, you might be able help an immediate need. 2. Take someone to worship services. There are people who would like to attend a church service, but may not have transportation. Reach out to them and give them a ride. 3. Mow a neighbor’s lawn. Do you know of someone in your neighborhood whose yard needs some attention? Rather than fuss about it, why not cut it? Maybe they are working extra shifts or their mower is temporarily unavailable, so why not volunteer to help? Now, you might need to be somewhat creative in how you approach them, but if you do it out of a spirit of service, your heart will show. 4. Babysit the neighbors’ children while their...

Would you purchase a house if didn’t hadn’t a solid foundation? Even if the people of the house said, “Don’t worry about it, the house has served us well. We feel like it will work for you too.” would you ignore a bad foundation? This seems to be kind of a silly discussion, doesn’t it? Even if they were nice, well-meaning people, we wouldn’t put our faith in a house that had foundation problems. So, why are we willing to put our emotional and spiritual faith in something that has a tenuous foundation? There are a lot of philosophies out there that are grounded on something less than a solid spiritual foundation. It might have its roots in wanting to help people or in some political or social movement; but unless what we are called to believe has its foundation in the Bible, let’s pass. When David praised God, he wrote, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 1...

We live in a violent world. Our communities are filled with people who are taking advantage of others. We watch as people live in constant conflict with those around them. (You may be wondering if you should stop reading now – that’s enough negativity for one day – but hang in there with me, I do have a point coming.) It is no secret that people around us are in turmoil, so what should we do? On one hand it would be great if we could just hide behind our gated walls and not make an appearance until it is safe to do so. However, if we who are good conscientious people don’t do something, things are bound to get worse! We can’t sit around and complain about how bad things are, we have to get involved or there is no way it will get any better. However, with that in mind, we must also remember that we can’t make people play nice! We can do what we can do, but eventually those involved in the conflicts must make a decision about how they are going to live. We can’t take it persona...

Faith is one of those interesting religious words that can have multiple layers of meanings. On one hand it can mean some kind of confident expectation, but there is another one that has caught my attention. Faith can also be defined as trust combined with obedience. (Have you ever heart the song, “Trust And Obey”?) When we discuss faith this way, it is more than just sitting back and watching God work, it is also believing in what He is accomplishing and doing our part to help. It is with this definition in mind that I take us back to a very familiar passage, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10). First, we must admit that the only way we can be saved is through the grace of God, but that doesn’t mean that we can sit bac...

The other night Jeane and I watched a show called, “Facing Nolan”. It was a biography of the Major League Baseball pitcher, Nolan Ryan. As you might imagine, it was a tribute to the Hall of Famer, but the unsung hero in the show was Nolan’s wife, Ruth. Having been a part of his life since before he made it big, she became an important part of his success. No, her expertise wasn’t in the technical advice she gave him, rather she was able to keep Ryan grounded and focused. We’ll never know how famous Ryan would have been without her, but with her he became one of the greatest pitchers in the modern era. As I watched the show, I got to thinking about how blessed I am to have my wife of 42 years in my life. She has been there thick and thin (and thinner). She is a major part of the reason I have been able to do what I have been able to do. When Lemuel praises the “Worthy Woman” of Proverbs 31, he describes my sentiments, “An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above...

Have you ever failed to help someone who was struggling because you didn’t know what to say? I think there are a lot of times when we can see people who are hurting or who have been impacted by tragedy, but we shy away from them because we just don’t know how to approach them. We feel inadequate in our ability to say the right things to heal their hurt. While this is a common fear, the truth is that few of us know the right words to mitigate the impact of their crisis. There are no magic words that will make them forget nor is there some formula that will undo what they have experienced. So now that we have removed the invisible barrier that separates us from this hurting, here are a couple things to try. First of all, don’t try to say something to make them feel better, give them a chance to tell you why they feel bad. One of the most effective ways to deal with emotional pain is to be able to talk about it, but too few people get the opportunity to tell their story or expres...

The other day I came across an observation by Tony Evans who said, “The church has failed to be a positive influence for good in our nation and our world.”. As I sat and stared at that insight, a couple things came to mind. First, is it really “the church” that has been the negative influence or those who merely play church? Anyone can call themselves a Christian, but it is only those who truly follow the will of God who are part of His church. When people are Christians in name only, we should expect that the name of the church will be besmirched. Secondly, I tend to agree with Dr. Evans because we have allowed bad influences to ruin our good name. When people have done things in opposition to godliness, we have not generated a resounding public outcry that they do not represent the true church of God. Too often, to suit some non-biblical agenda, we have allowed ourselves to be too closely tied to those who do not share our true values. As we move forward, let’s not only protect the ...